Ingersoll-Rand PLC (IR): Today's Featured Industrial Goods Winner

Editor's Note: TheStreet ratings do not represent the views of TheStreet's staff or its contributors. Ratings are established by computer based on metrics for performance (which includes growth, stock performance, efficiency and valuation) and risk (volatility and solvency). Companies with poor cash flow or high debt levels tend to earn lower ratings in our model.

Ingersoll-Rand ( IR) pushed the Industrial Goods sector higher today making it today's featured industrial goods winner. The sector as a whole closed the day up 0.6%. By the end of trading, Ingersoll-Rand rose 81 cents (1.6%) to $49.77 on average volume. Throughout the day, 2.1 million shares of Ingersoll-Rand exchanged hands as compared to its average daily volume of 2.3 million shares. The stock ranged in a price between $48.97-$49.85 after having opened the day at $49.06 as compared to the previous trading day's close of $48.96. Other companies within the Industrial Goods sector that increased today were: Bonso Electronics International ( BNSO), up 14.1%, Perma-Fix Environmental Services ( PESI), up 8.9%, OSI Systems ( OSIS), up 6.2%, and Highway Holdings ( HIHO), up 6.2%.

EXCLUSIVE OFFER: Jim Cramer's Protégé, Dave Peltier, only buys Stocks Under $10 that he thinks could potentially double. See what he's trading today with a 14-day FREE pass.

Ingersoll-Rand Public Limited Company engages in the design, manufacture, sale, and service of a diverse portfolio of industrial and commercial products in the United States and internationally. Ingersoll-Rand has a market cap of $14.89 billion and is part of the industrial industry. The company has a P/E ratio of 15.1, below the S&P 500 P/E ratio of 17.7. Shares are up 3.1% year to date as of the close of trading on Thursday. Currently there are six analysts that rate Ingersoll-Rand a buy, one analyst rates it a sell, and eight rate it a hold.

TheStreet Ratings rates Ingersoll-Rand as a buy. The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its solid stock price performance, compelling growth in net income, attractive valuation levels, good cash flow from operations and largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures. We feel these strengths outweigh the fact that the company shows low profit margins.